4 Jan 2011

The one about the year

It's the time of year when people write posts summing up writerly activities.

2010 was odd year for me. The day job kicked my arse. Then, when I managed to get myself up off the canvas, kicked me again. Repeatedly. I just didn't seem to be able to manage my time particularly well.

Only two new stories saw print this year, both in Semaphore. March saw the publication of Starting Over, where our hero only wants to stop the assasination of John Lennon. Perhaps. Then in September, Wood, which I like to think of as Dawn of the Dead, with puppets.

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #46 contained my first published poem, Dead Air. If you'd told me a few years ago I'd see one of my poems in print, I wouldn't have believed you. I've never thought of myself as a poet. Still don't really. But apparently, somehow, I kind of am.

The Salt Line was reprinted over at the World SF Blog and in doing so becomes my most reprinted story.

So my writing wasn't on fire this year, but a whole bunch of other stuff was going on. I was proud to play a small part in the creation of SpecFicNZ. It launched at Au Contraire in August and now has 68 members. Hard to believe a few years ago I didn't know any other Kiwis writing spec fic. Meet ups are happening in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and they're great. The Internet's great and all, but meeting people face-to-face is still so much better.

Also at Au Contraire I was honored to win another Sir Julius Vogel award for the story I still can't look full in the face, The Living Dead Boy. Even better, I tied with Ripley Patton, my friend and hero. I've never read anything from Ripley that hasn't been amazing. In fact, you need to check out Broken Water", just published today. It's really rather brilliant.

Then there was Worldcon. Liz and I took our first trip overseas for years, just so I could go to a scifi con? Yep. And was it ever worth it. To meet so many people I'd only ever communicated with online was great. To be able to represent StarShipSofa was beyond amazing. I think I'm kind of addicted to Worldcons now. Will I be at the next one? Yeah, no. Unless you'd like to pay?

Even though I complained about finding time to write I still managed to find time to keep up with the Electric Velocipede slush and StarShipSofa deck swabbing. And because I clearly didn't have enough to do, I went and set up my own fanzine. Issue #1 of b0t is available right now. Issue #2 is going to be even better and I'm working on making it available on the Kindle and other formats.

So that was 2010. What happens in 2011?
Good things.

I've written more in the past three days than I think I did over the past two months. And it seems to be good stuff. I've already got two stories slated to appear this year. Look for me at Strange Horizons. Yes, this is my first pro sale. Yes, I'm still smiling about it. And I've got an absolutely tiny story appearing in The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, which amazingly, already has a page up on Amazon.com. Sure, my story is microfiction at the back, but I'll be between the covers with some of my heroes. Garth Nix. China Mieville. Michael. Freaking. Moorcock. I have no words for that.

2011 is going to rock. Say it with me kids. I'm going to find some time somewhere and do amazing things. So are you. The dog days are over.